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“I never said--”
“And as far as having no qualifications goes? That isn’t even kind of true. Sure, you might not have a stamp of approval from teachers and such. But you have talent you can capitalize on. You’re a writer, sweetheart. And do you know what the most wonderful thing in the world for a writer is?”
I paused. “What?”
“Travel, Clint. The best thing you could do for your writing is to travel.”
37
Raelynn
I sat in my bed, scrolling through all sorts of things on the internet. And all the while, I thought about Clint. I wanted to call him. I wanted to text him. I wanted to see how he was doing. But I also suspected he didn’t want to hear from me. Not right now, at least. So I dove into the list he gave me. That typed-up piece of paper that held so many options for me.
And the one I kept gravitating back to made me curious.
I searched through airfare and hotel deals online. I looked up how much it would be to rent a car in some places and jotted down a budget on the back of that sheet of paper. The only option on his list that gave me any sort of peace was traveling. Working, and traveling, and living off just what I needed. Things were still expensive, though. I’d have to dip into the money I’d saved up in order to get to a few places. But I did find a lot of ways to cut costs.
Like booking rooms that were cancelled at the last minute. And using coupons for Air B&Bs. And taking trains all around Europe instead of being hellbent on flying.
Walking around instead of always taking cabs.
The suggestion to travel had worked its way underneath my skin. It took over my dreams last night as I tossed and turned. I couldn’t shake it either. I figured once I drew up a schematic of the costs of something like this, I’d be swayed away from it. Back to the original plan of going to college. Getting a degree. Living my life by the book.
But the more I researched, the more I found myself trying to make it work.
I mean, no teachers? No homework? No stressing out about midterms or deadlines or schedules? It sounded like a damn dream. Learning on my own time by submerging myself into an atmosphere I’d never get in a classroom. And it wasn’t as if the traveling and the working and the learning would cost me that much more than college. The thought made me excited. Not anxious, like school always had.
But what about Clint?
Adding another person to the traveling picture automatically increased all the prices. Airfare. Food. Cab rides. Even train tickets. I wouldn't be able to foot the bill on my own. Not by a long shot. And I knew Clint felt compelled to stay behind and help take care of Cecilia. I couldn't blame him for that, either. Not after she took him in as her own.
The thought of leaving him behind to travel made me sick to my stomach, though.
I made a list of all the places I wanted to visit. London and Galway. Belize and Rio De Janeiro. Costa Rica and the fields of Scotland and those tulip gardens I always saw online. They were located in the Netherlands, I found out. So I added that to my list. There were so many places I wanted to see. So much I wanted to learn. So many places where I could apply the skills I already had to scrape up some extra cash to do extra things. Like indulge in the country’s finer foods and go on train tours around Italy’s wineries and sip all their fantastic blends.
Clint would enjoy something like that.
I sighed as I flipped over to airplane flights. I started typing in some of these locations, seeing how much it would take for me to fly out of LAX. Most of the prices were what I expected. Especially for one-way international flights. But I did come across one particular airline running a deal on their international flights.
Specifically, to Rome.
“I wonder how long that’s lasting,” I mu
rmured.
I started reading the fine print. And with every word I devoured, my soul soared with delight. Holy shit. They were running this special for all sorts of international flights. Ones to the Polynesian Islands. Others to Australia. And the Rome flight? It was less than half the cost it usually was for business class. My stomach burst to life with butterflies. The deal lasted for the next week. That meant that if I played my cards right, I could be in Europe in four days.
“Four days,” I whispered.
I smiled at the thought. My soul felt at peace and my heart felt fuller than it had in, well, ever. Tears of happiness rushed my eyes. And as the feeling overwhelmed me, I slid out of bed, stood to my feet and shook my arms out, trying to expel the excess energy that had crept up in my body. Rome. In four days.
This is what going to college should feel like.
I hadn’t understood this excitement Michael and Allison had for their future until now. I paced my room and continued scrolling through my phone. I bookmarked the purchase page for those flights and started looking up hotel deals. Bungalows in the area. Comparing prices and drawing up a mental budget in my head.
“Yes!” I exclaimed.
Air B&B had a fantastic deal on a studio apartment with a great view. I favorited it and flipped back over to the freelance website. One of the many Clint had jotted down for me. If I could get my English tutoring thing up and running, even if I worked the bare minimum required for the site, that would cover my train tickets all around Europe. A few cab fares, too. That meant my travel costs would drop substantially and give me more wiggle room with my initial budget.
